


Let’s Marry at the Space Station

by LiaBlackPandora



Series: TsukkiKage Week 2k16 [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Cafe Owner!Yams, Doctor!Kenma, Doctor!Tsukki, Dorks, M/M, Medical BS, Not angsty ending, Pro-volleyballer!Bo, Pro-volleyballer!Kags, Sci-fi Director!Iwa, Sci-fi Writer!Oiks, Worry not!, florist!suga
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-31
Updated: 2016-12-31
Packaged: 2018-09-13 15:41:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9130903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiaBlackPandora/pseuds/LiaBlackPandora
Summary: “Please, no. Don’t go.”





	

**Author's Note:**

> Day 7: Time/ ~~Free~~  
>  Ahhh! Very late submission, cutting it real close!! This fic has like 8k+ words and my stamina is like fucking low Orz. Researched like pretty much nothing, so forgive me for medical BS. Edited for the most part, but some errors may have escaped me. Please note that as the story progresses, quality of story dramatically plunges. Also RIP ending, sigh.

“Doctor, is my son okay?”

“Nothing to worry about, Mam’. The surgery was a success. However, we’ll put him under observation for a while.” The doctor, Tsukishima, said, giving a reassuring smile to the frantic woman. The lady nodded and he took his leave immediately. The surgery wasn’t exactly complicated, but it did take a toll on him, especially since he had a couple of other surgeries earlier in the day. He let his mind wander as his legs guided him to where he wanted to be at.

He stopped outside a room that was all too familiar. Just as he was about to knock on the door, it opened, revealing a shorter male with cat-like eyes. “Kei.” The bicolour haired male started off, “We need to talk.”

“Is it urgent, Kenma?”

The ex-Nekoma setter nodded and glanced behind, “It’s about…” Tsukishima followed his line of vision. His gaze landed on the sole occupant of the room, the currently slumbering’s body connected to a large number of tubes, each vital in sustaining the life of the resting male.

“Alright, let’s talk.” Tsukishima complied. Kozume nodded and slid the door close. “First, let’s get you some food. You seem awfully pale and I remembered you had a rather hectic schedule today.”

“But—” The blonde began to protest, only to be cut off by a stern ‘No’ from the other.

“If you don’t eat properly, your health’s going to deteriorate. If that happens, who’s going to look after Tobio?” The older male questioned. “Besides, I’m not asking for too much of your time. We can discuss the situation along the way, grab some food, and then head up to eat at Tobio’s room.”

Tsukishima let out a sigh, “Let’s grab some food then.” Kozume nodded, visibly relieved that he managed to persuade his friend to eat. He noted that Tsukishima had thinned considerably ever since Kageyama had to be hospitalized.

The shorter male had known the ex-middle blocker ever since the joint practice match, but he had only truly befriended the blonde a couple of years back when they chanced upon each other during work and found out that they worked at the same hospital. They were able to get along with each other due to their compatible personalities, and after having spent quite some time with each other, decided to call each other by their first names.

By extension, Kozume got closer to Kageyama and they too reached first-name basis in no time. Kozume was probably the only person, aside from Karasuno members, who truly understood the depth of affection the couple shared.

And it was that very depth that was nibbling at the hearts of the couple and everyone else that knew of the situation. The pain was constant and dragged out, not merciful enough to make it quick. Death seemed to be cruel to the two, wanting to make them suffer as much as possible.

“So… What did you want to tell me?” Tsukishima asked.

Kozume noted that his friend’s hands were balled up, a tic he observed whenever the blonde was uneasy and the like. He - like any other good friend - hated to be the bearer of bad news, but for the sake of both his professionalism and friendship, let out the grave situation with a steady voice.

“Tobio… He’s not going to make it. Current technology and medicine is not advanced enough to treat it. There’s no known cure for his illness; not right now, and life support is barely sustaining him.”

“No.”

Tsukishima’s voice was barely audible but Kozume picked up on the slight tremor. “Kei…?”

“No!”

This time his voice cracked and Kozume could see the desperation in his eyes.

“There has to be something we can do! I’m sure life support will be able to support him long enough for a cure to be made. I read stories where life support sustained someone’s life for ten years. A miracle can - no, will - happen in a decade!”

“Kei, stop.”

The glasses-wearing male shut his mouth immediately, ceasing his almost mad ramblings. He rarely hears the ex-Nekoma male speak in such a stern tone.

“Do you really want your boyfriend to be hooked up to numerous machines, isolated and alone from the rest of society, for the next ten years? Are you really selfish enough to do that to Tobio? Are you cruel enough to ask him to hang on, to suffer, through ten _torturous_ years?

Tsukishima hesitantly shook his head, “No, I—”

The blonde was cut off by a frantic nurse.

“Doctor Kozume. We need you. Now. Your patient in ward 119 is—”

The ex-middle blocker’s mental cogs stopped.

119.

_Kageyama._

 

* * *

 

“Tsukishima-san, you need to eat.”

Said male shook his head, stubbornly refusing to eat. His stomach was churning and his last meal was more than 10 hours ago - breakfast, which consisted of a hastily thrown together sandwich - but mentally, he was devoid of any hunger.

“I’m okay, Akaashi-san, Bokuto-san. Thanks for worrying about me, though.”

The Fukorodani males looked at each other, both concerned about the wellbeing of the blonde.

“Hey hey hey! I’m sure Kageyama-kun will be better in no time! Soon, he’ll be setting volleyballs to me again, and we’ll win Gold at the 2020 Olympics—”

“Kou.” Akaashi warned. Bokuto was trying to cheer Tsukishima up, but it was only doing the opposite.

“Sorry.” The owl-like male muttered. He then perked up, “I’ll get us some coffee. And you,” He pointed to the glasses-wearer, “You better drink it! I won’t take ‘no’ as an answer.” Without waiting for anyone’s reply, he dashed out of the room.

“Sorry about Koutaro. You know how he is. He’s a great spiker, but he’s not so good at handling sensitive issues.”

Tsukishima shook his head, “It’s alright. I’m sure he wants Tobio to get better soon as well. He must be whining at practice without his usual setter.”

“He whines about it at home too. Tetsurou-san and Kenma-san are beyond exasperated.”

Just then a phone let out a melodious ‘ding’. Akaashi took the device out of his pocket and read the message. “It’s Tetsurou. He says ‘Brace yourself’.”

Barely a second later, the door is violently opened and a whole murder of crows rush into the room. An orange haired male runs to the bed and jumps up and down whilst squawking a barely recognizable ‘Kageyama’. Almost immediately, he was hit by the ‘mother’ of the team and sternly reprimanded, “Hinata, we’re at a hospital. Be quiet!”

The overly-energetic male muttered out an apology and stopped jumping up and down on an invisible trampoline.

“Sorry it’s so noisy.” Sugawara sighed. “Anyways, is Kageyama better?”

Everyone silenced immediately, wanting to know their friend’s situation. The atmosphere was grim and overbearingly heavy.

“He—”

The door slid open with a bam.

“Hey hey hey! I got the coffee! And oh, hey, everyone from Karasuno is here!”

“Kou.”

Said male swallowed nervously as everyone directed their glares at him. And Akaashi… Akaashi looked like he might just skin the poor male alive. An angry Akaashi is a hot Akaashi, but a murderous one? No thanks. With that in mind, the spiky haired spiker placed the styrofoam cups on the nearest table.

“I’ll, erm, buy coffee for everyone! Yeah, bye!”

With that, Bokuto dashed out of the room and shut the door quietly.

“Continue.” The ex-Fukurodani setter said, letting out a sigh at his boyfriend’s actions.

The atmosphere grew tense once more, each worried about how grave the situation was.

“He’s in—”

The door slid open once again, this time with the visitor shouting a ‘Hajime-chan! I don’t wanna!’

He was greeted by a group of annoyed people about to go ballistic, each decorated with laser glares.

“Now’s not a good time, I guess? I’ll… Come back later!”

The door was immediately shut, _quietly_.

“Continue Tsukishima! We need to know!” Hinata urged.

_We need to know if Kageyama’s dying_ was left unspoken, but the atmosphere was dark enough, and the blonde would probably break if someone said the words ‘Kageyama’ and ‘Die’ in the same sentence.

“He’s in the safe for now, but—”

Just then, the door slid open. It was opened with less force than the previous two, but it was considered an annoyance by the current occupants of the room nonetheless.

“Sorry to interrupt, but I need to take his readings so could you all…”

The lady’s footsteps faltered, and her words died on her tongue.

Why, you may ask. Well, if you were greeted by a whole group of men - minus the two pretty ladies amongst them - seemingly ready to attack you with non-existent pitchforks, would you not be scared? Especially when they shout, unanimously may I add, at you to—

“GET. OUT.”

The woman clutched at her clipboard as she squeaked out an ‘Okay’ before turning tail to escape from the Satan-like spawn, white skirt flowing as heels clicked at the floor furiously.

And finally, _finally_ , the door was closed, and silence resumed.

And the silence continued.

Until realization struck.

“Wasn’t that the nurse...?”

 

* * *

 

The nurse was surprisingly nice and accepted their apologies easily or perhaps it was out of fear - Her hands _were_ trembling when she spoke to them. Regardless of the reason, they decided it was best to talk outside Kageyama’s room whilst the nurse took his readings.

“So so? You said Kageyama was in the safe but?” Hinata, Nishinoya, and Tanaka chorused, putting their faces right at the blonde’s.

“For now. He’s in the safe _for now_. Before I continue, could you please give me some space?” Tsukishima said, sighing a breath of relief as the intruders of his personal space distanced.

“But,” The blonde continued, “He won’t be able to last for long.” His fists were clenched tightly and his throat burned, preventing him from relaying the next piece of information.

“There’s no known cure. Not right now.” A cool voice piped up from behind, completing what his fellow doctor could not.

“Kenma! Kuroo!” Hinata greeted, running straight up to them.

Hinata was followed by an owl whom had been forgiven by the group for interrupting them previously.

“Is Kageyama going to die?” The two hyper males asked, only realising what they had done after they blurted out the words. They turned around to observe the spectacle-wearing male’s reaction, using it as an indicator as to whether they should get down on their knees and commit seppuku with blunt fingernails and sheer grit. They would rather cross the River Styx a thousand times than incur the wrath of their friends by making the already fragile male cry.

“Tsu-Tsukki?” Yamaguchi’s voice was small as he hesitantly placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder.

Almost immediately, the tall male brushed his hand off. “I’m going to check on Tobio.” His voice was cool and steady as he spoke. Although he wasn’t fooling anyone, no one said anything. Each could tell that he wanted some space, and if it could help their friend, they would gladly give him lots of it. The blonde then went into the room and closed the door noiselessly.

The group slowly dispersed, either going home or getting dinner with a couple others and only a few stayed on just for a little while.

“Is Kageyama really going to die?” Sugawara asked.

“There is no known cure right now, and life support can only help so much.” Kozume replied, barely audible.

“I see.” Sugawara’s voice sounded resigned. He nodded a goodbye before leaving with Sawamura.

The silver-haired male was tense and quiet as they walked off. The ex-captain said nothing knowing that it would not help, but instead wrapped his hand around the other’s, thumb tracing the knuckles of his boyfriend’s hand, silently coaxing for Sugawara to say what was on his mind.

Finally, the shorter male turned to face Sawamura, conviction evident in his eyes.

“Daichi, I think I’ll tell Tsukishima… _The method to save Kageyama.”_

 

* * *

 

“Thank you so much. And I apologize once again for the behaviour of my friends.” Tsukishima said, bowing politely.

“No, it’s okay! It’s nice to know that you and Kageyama-san have such supportive friends. Cherish them.” With that, the nurse bowed and took her leave, letting the two talk alone.

“How are you feeling now?” The blonde asked, brushing stray locks from his boyfriend’s face.

“Really sleepy…” Kageyama trailed off, tears leaking out of the corner of his eyes as he yawned.

Tsukishima’s eyes crinkled as he smiled at the cute sight before him. Using his thumb, he wiped away the tears before dipping down and greeting his lover with a brief, chaste kiss.

“We’re at a hospital, Kei.” Kageyama whispered, blush dusting his cheeks.

“And? There’s no one here but us.”

Phthalo orbs fluttered shut as he hummed, as if considering his options. After a few seconds, he opened his eyes, blue pools shining with mischief as a Cheshire grin formed. “One more kiss then. _With tongue_.”

“As you wish, my King.”

With that, the blonde lowered his head once more. As with all french kisses, their mouth to mouth exchange got heated and messy real quick. Though Kageyama was still slightly sleepy, his tongue was anything but sloppy, and he kissed with such fervour and intensity that Tsukishima felt himself slowly getting delirious.

“Ahhh, my eyes!”

The two stopped, albeit with much reluctance, and turned their direction to the now open door.

“Don’t pretend to be innocent, Tooru.” The Great King was then hit on the head by a shorter male, causing the brunette to let out a cry. The couple then walked towards Tsukishima and Kageyama after closing the door.

“Are you feeling better now, Kageyama?” Iwaizumi asked.

Said male nodded, “I’m feeling great now.”

“Well clearly, you’re feeling better if you’re able to french four-eyes there.” Oikawa cut in, pointing at the annoyed blonde.

Of course, the male was hit on the head once more by his beloved.

“Thanks for coming all the way here, though.” The youngest smiled, overjoyed at the fact that the two visited him. “It must have been hard to take time off your schedules.”

“It was no trouble at all. I figured the filming crew needed some time off. Besides, this idiot here kept on whining about his writer’s block. If I don’t do something about it, I won’t have any novels to make a movie from.”

“It’s not my fault you insist on using only my books.” The ex-Aoba Josai captain muttered.

“Shut up, would you rather I didn’t?”

Oikawa pouted at his boyfriend, “You’re so mean.” He then turned to the two younger males, presumably to get them on his side, only to see the two shaking their heads sympathetically.

“You have our condolences, Iwaizumi-san.” Tsukishima started off, with his boyfriend continuing, “Iwaizumi-san, your patience is truly that of a saint’s.”

The poor ‘victimized’ male gasped dramatically, placing a hand over his heart in an attempt to mimic angina pain, “Why do you all wound me so?” His mental stability was threatened when the three males chorused, “Because you’re trash.”

“Ahh~ Is that why you always take me out, Hajime-chan?~”

Said male blinked, momentarily stunned, “Did you just…” Within a few seconds, he recovered from his boyfriend’s witty retort and turned to the two younger males.

“Let’s toss him out of the window.”

 

* * *

 

After a couple of failed attempts in getting rid of the human garbage, everyone was out of breath - Iwaizumi and Tsukishima were panting heavily because _holy fuck did Oikawa put on a good fight_ , said brunette was dying in a corner, and Kageyama… Why the hell is he wheezing when all he did was sit on the bed and laugh till his sides ached?!?

“Tru-Truce!” The sci-fi writer pleaded, waving an imaginary white flag.

Everyone vetoed the decision and spent a couple of minutes in silence, desperately trying to catch their breath.

Just then a brown paper bag caught the attention of the hospitalized male. “Oikawa-senpai, what’s in that bag?” He asked, pointing at the bag which looked horribly stuffed.

“Ahh, glad you asked!” The brunette clapped, perking up instantly. He picked up the bulging bag which looked like it might just tear apart any moment and walked towards the bed, plopping himself on the chair situated next to the sick male.

“You’re going to have the honour of reading my current novel! It’s unfinished, but I figured you needed some entertainment. Plus, it’ll be nice to get some extra feedback.” Oikawa said, unsheathing a stack of papers. He proceeded to dump it on Kageyama’s lap before digging something out of the paper bag. “And here!” He said, holding out a pen, “It’s a ballpoint pen with an alien head accessory attached to it.”

He then stuck his hand into the paper bag once more before throwing another pen at Tsukishima. “That’s for you, four-eyes! A ballpoint pen with an UFO accessory attached. Now you two match!” He exclaimed, clapping.

The brunette’s happiness was short-lived when the sound of stifled sobs reached his ears. Iwaizumi and Tsukishima rushed to Kageyama’s side whilst Oikawa stood up quickly, the chair producing a shrill noise as it scraped the floor. The ex-Aoba Josai setter moved back to allow Tsukishima to take his rightful place beside the crying male.

“Tobio?” The blonde’s voice was soft as he crouched down, hands moving to cup the other's cheeks. “What’s wrong?” He asked, a frown etched onto his face as his forehead creased with worry.

Kageyama gingerly placed a hand over Tsukishima’s, careful not to snap any of the tubes, before speaking, voice taut and thick with emotion, “I’m just so happy… I… So many people have visited me today. Even though I didn’t see most of them ‘cause I was sleeping, I’m still glad that they worried about me. And then to suddenly receive gifts? How could I not cry?”

“How could I not cry?” He repeated, his smile fading away. His entire being trembled as he clutched Tsukishima’s hand tightly, committing the warmth to memory. His boyfriend’s hands were always so warm, and big, and comforting, even now - no, _especially_ now - especially when his own warmth was leaving him and cold numbness replaced it. Especially when his own heart started to malfunction, when his blood no longer retained heat and became cold, when the only thing preventing his death were the numerous machines hooked up to him.

**“I don’t want to die.”**

The tears streaming down his face were cold, and his face, a deathly pale. Only blue orbs seemed to hold traces of life, but the light was slowly fading away, and the blonde could not help but envelope the sobbing male in a hug, as if to prevent Death from snatching him away.

But the truth was that he had to be strong for both of them,

_He couldn’t let Kageyama see the hot tears threatening to flow._

 

* * *

 

“Thank you for not saying anything.” Tsukishima bowed his head politely, thanking the two older males.

“You mean not pointing out your teary eyes?” Oikawa started off, “Well, contrary to popular belief, I’m not an asshole twenty-four-seven, okay?” He huffed.

“If you need someone, you can always come to us. We may not be close to you and we may not be able to help, but if you ever need us, we’ll come running.” Iwaizumi smiled, patting the blonde’s shoulder in an attempt to comfort him.

“Well, we’ll be going now!” Oikawa announced, grabbing his boyfriend’s arm and walking off.

The blonde sighed as he watched the two walk off. He couldn’t help but feel a little envious of the Aoba Josai couple - he wished he and Kageyama could just walk off and resume their normal lives together. He shook his head the moment he felt tears prick the corner of his eyes once again, dismissing the thought instantly. He had no time for such fantasies, not when he has a boyfriend to save.

Tsukishima slid the door open and entered the room, closing the door behind him, before walking towards his now calmer boyfriend.

“Sorry.” Kageyama mumbled, tearing his eyes away from the window to look at the taller male. Blue pools were still misty, and eyelashes, wet. The ex-middle blocker shook his head and sat on the bed, patting the black-haired male’s head endearingly. “Don’t be, I know how hard it must be for you.”

The setter smiled, his expression soft and gentle and tender _and Tsukishima’s heart could not help but flutter_ , before taking the hand that was resting upon silky black locks and bringing it to his lips. It was nothing more than an innocent kiss to the fingers and yet the blonde could feel his heart race.

“Tobio? What was that for?” He spluttered, heat rushing to colour his cheeks.

“It was thanks.” The blonde could see his reflection in phthalo orbs clear as day, as the two continued staring at each other.

“Thanks for not leaving me.”

Kageyama found himself wrapped in a warm embrace for the second time that day and his eyes widened at the sudden action. “Kei—”

“Idiot.” Tsukishima whispered, cutting off his boyfriend’s words, “I’d never leave you. Not now, not _ever_.”

“...Mm, okay.” The younger male replied, his smile growing. He buried his head into the blonde’s chest, taking in a long breath.

A lot had changed since they first met back in Karasuno, from teenagers who could never stop bickering to teammates who somehow managed to get along - with the help of some annoyed friends - and then the big jump to lovers in their third year, shocking absolutely no one. Perhaps their attraction to each other was plain for everyone to see but themselves - Both had admitted they had difficulty coming to terms with their sexuality after all.

So much had changed. Everyone went different ways and ventured into different fields… Well except Kageyama, he became a regular setter on Japan’s National Volleyball team. Life was great then, even when Tsukishima had frequent night shifts and the difference in their work hours meant they could rarely see each other.

Their happy days were turned upside down when Kageyama collapsed during practice, his abnormal heart condition only being discovered then. That incident took place a mere couple of months ago, and yet it seemed like such a large amount of time had passed.

Too much has changed.

But, _at least the familiar scent of strawberries have not._

 

* * *

 

“Aren’t the stars pretty?”

Tsukishima nodded, letting out a hum as he swirled the wine in his glass around.

“You’re not even looking at them, Kei.” Kageyama deadpanned, looking at his disinterested boyfriend. “Why look at stars light years away when I can just admire the one at an arm’s length?” The blonde mused, reaching out and tilting the other’s head with a finger before closing the distance in one step, letting his lips convey his affection for the shorter.

“That’s not fair.” The setter whispered once they parted for air, the shining stars and the bottle of Petrus that was on a table not too far from them forgotten. Though, the taste of sweet wine still lingered in his mouth. Tsukishima smiled, putting down his glass on the table next to Kageyama’s abandoned glass. “Well then, you’re not very fair either.”

“With silky black locks,” He started off, grabbing a few strands of the well-maintained hair, “Big blue eyes,” He kissed the other’s eyelids which had closed instinctively, “Pink kissable lips,” He planted a chaste kiss to the lips that drew him crazy, “And,” His fingers trailed downward suggestively before ending up at Kageyama’s ass, cupping it and giving a gentle squeeze, eliciting a soft gasp which was then followed by a louder gasp.

“Ahh! You’re trying to distract me, aren’t you?” Kageyama accused, pointing a slender finger at him.

“Haha, you got me.” The older chuckled, putting his hands up in the air, surrendering and pleading guilty. “I don’t understand why you’re so fascinated with the stars and moon and all. Come to think of it, why do you know so much about space and the things out there?”

“Well, erm… Promise me you won’t laugh, or get mad, or get jealous?”

“Get jealous?” Tsukishima echoed, arching an eyebrow, “Why would I get jealous?”

“Promise me first!” The younger urged, holding out his pinky. The blonde muttered a ‘What are you? A child?’ but complied anyways, twisting his pinky with Kageyama’s.

“My middle school was Kitagawa Daiichi and I admired Oikawa-san back then for his serves—”

“Ah, so that’s what you meant by getting jealous.” The taller mused aloud, cutting off his boyfriend.

“Are you jealous?”

“A little.”

“Well, I don’t mind if you get a little jealous.” The setter admitted, blush colouring his cheeks, “You’re quite cute when you get jealous and possessive.”

“As much as I’d like to tie you up and mark every single place of your body, I can’t. Not until you satisfy my piqued curiosity by telling me your story.”

“I should tell you quickly then. I can’t have you waiting after all.” Kageyama grinned, ever so cheekily. “So as I was saying, I admired Oikawa-san and I wanted him to teach me his serves. But for some reason, he kept avoiding me. I thought it was because we had no common ground so I asked Iwaizumi-san about what Oikawa-san likes, other than volleyball of course.”

“And let me guess, he told you Oikawa likes aliens which lead you to read about said beings. Somehow, along the way, you got fascinated with space instead.”

The black haired male shrugged, “Pretty much.”

The blonde let out a hum as he mulled over the details before asking once more, “Then why try to make me appreciate the stars and moon? You should know after trying multiple times that I can’t appreciate it the way you do.”

“But!” Kageyama exclaimed, standing on his tippy toes and looking straight at chocolate orbs, “Your family name has the character ‘tsuki’ in it! There’s no way you can’t appreciate at least the moon.”

Tsukishima blinked - momentarily stunned by his boyfriend’s unexpected answer - before laughing. “Just because of that?” He questioned.

“I’m serious!”

The spectacle-wearing male let a smile bloom on his face, “I know you are.”

“So,” He started off, gently intertwining their fingers together, “I assume you’re gonna take my family name once we marry?”

At the mention of marriage, blood started to pool at the setter’s cheeks - something the older noticed and smiled at.

Finally, after a while of silence, the younger replied, “I guess I will. I like the moon a lot, after all.”

“Since we’re talking about it, can I ask you something?” Kageyama asked, only continuing after his boyfriend nodded, “Can we… Marry at the space station?”

Brown orbs widened at the request before the corner of his eyes crinkled once more.

_“Sure, let’s get married at the space station.”_

 

* * *

 

Soft, mellow sunlight streamed past the sheer white curtains, causing the young doctor to stir from his slumber. It was his day off and he had nothing planned for the day, thus allowing him to lay on the bed for just a little longer. Brown orbs opened lazily as he stared at the blurry ceiling. After they had settled in comfortably at their new apartment, Kageyama took it upon himself to paint their bedroom ceiling, resulting in an unexpectedly beautiful mural of the night sky.

Seeing the painting reminded him of his dream. It had been a long time since he had such a good sleep - The events that took place the precious day took a bigger toll on him than expected - and it had been weeks since he last had that dream. He called it a dream, but it was more of a memory, really. The memory of their anniversary night complete with a bottle of Petrus, the night sky, and some tender loving. The memory of the night before Kageyama’s eventful collapse. The last memory he had of a healthy and happy Kageyama.

Looking to his left, he was greeted only by vast emptiness. It was not the fault of the bed - The bed really wasn’t that big - but rather Kageyama’s presence was too big not to notice the absence of. Kageyama’s usual side of the bed was pristine, untouched, and cold - A constant for the past few months.

His eyes then shifted to the balcony where they celebrated their anniversary privately. The glass doors had been closed since Kageyama had to be hospitalized. It already pained him so much just to lie on the empty bed, he could only imagine how much worse it would be to stand and admire Tokyo’s night view from the balcony alone.

Pushing memories away, he forced himself to get up and go through his usual morning routine. Day off or not, he was going to the hospital anyways to visit Kageyama. He hated to be in the apartment for too long - It only served to remind him of how empty it was without his lover.

He was eating his breakfast - a lazily grilled piece of mackerel - in silence when his phone let out a melodious ‘ding’, notifying him of a message.

  


* * *

 

“Ah, Tsukishima! Over here!”

The blonde looked to the side, seeing a perky silver-haired male wave at him. He walked over to his senior and took a seat. “You said you had something to tell me?”

Sugawara nodded, “Yeap, I do! But I’ll only talk about it after you eat. I ordered strawberry shortcake for you, gotta get your sugar level up y’know?” The taller male only sighed, nodding. He knew better than to protest, his senior was a rather stubborn person after all.

“Here, a slice of strawberry shortcake for you, Tsukki.” A voice said as a beautiful slice of cake came into view. The blonde reluctantly tore his eyes away from the pastry, turning to look at the person who served him. “Thanks, Yamaguchi.”

The freckled male nodded before taking a seat next to the blonde. “So, what important thing did you have to tell Tsukki? I have the right to know since you asked me to let you two come in before the cafe opens.” The brunette questioned.

“Well, I need Tsukishima to eat the cake first. He probably skipped dinner last night and I’m sure his appetite isn’t big enough to stomach a proper meal, but I need him to get some sugar at least.” Sugawara explained, gesturing for the spectacle-wearing male to eat.

Tsukishima complied and proceeded to dig in.

“Is it good?” Yamaguchi asked, breath abate as he waited for feedback from his close friend.

“Give me another slice and I’ll tell you what I think.”

The cafe owner simply laughed and got up from his seat, “I’ll get you another slice then. I’ll get you another slice of tiramisu too, Sugawara-senpai. They’re all on the house.”

“Thanks Yamaguchi.” Sugawara smiled.

“No, no need to thank me, senpai. You brought such wonderful flowers, this was the least I could do to thank you for it.” The brunette said as he placed the plates of cakes down. Upon mention of flowers, the blonde realised that on the counter not too far away from him lay a bouquet of bluebells.

“They are quite gorgeous.” Tsukishima commented, a smile blooming on his face. The flowers vaguely reminded him of Kageyama, and though he was smiling, it was more melancholic than a smile of joy. The oldest noticed the blonde’s expression and sighed knowingly. It really hurt to see his juniors suffering - especially when they felt like family to him.

“Here, a bouquet of bluebells to gift Kageyama with. I grew these at my flower shop and brought them with the intention of giving them to you.” Sugawara said, voice soft and soothing in an attempt to comfort the hurting male. He grabbed said thing from the seat next to him and placed it on the table.

“Thank you.”

“So, Tsukki how’s the cake?” Yamaguchi asked, attempting to distract his friend from thoughts of the dying male.

“It’s really good.” The ex-middle blocker praised, eating the slice of cake with smaller bites and less gusto, something that the freckled male noticed and frowned at. “Tsukki? Are you okay?”

The spectacle-wearing male shook his head, “I’m not. How can I be when Tobio’s dying?”

His voice sounded strangled as his breaths became shallow. It was hard trying to hold back the tears of frustration - or rather of helplessness - since Kageyama’s condition was discovered. He knew he was selfish for wanting to keep Kageyama alive with the help of life support even if there was no guarantee of a cure. He knew it would be cruel to keep Kageyama alive via such a method; it would only bring suffering to the black haired male, but even then part of him still wanted to go through with it.

He didn’t want his lover to leave him because if he did, _he would end up all alone in this big world._

 

**“I don’t want Tobio to die.”**

 

**_“He won’t.”_ **

 

Sugawara’s voice was firm and unwavering, statement delivered with conviction, and _oh, how Tsukishima would like to believe._

Slender fingers lightly tapped the bouquet of bluebells. “Bluebells have often been associated with humility or sometimes gratitude. But there is also another lesser known meaning to the flower. _Everlasting love_.”

Tsukishima choked back a sob at the meaning, his heart aching as his thoughts revolved around his boyfriend.

The silver-haired male noticed the tallest reaction but continued nonetheless, “Remember the miraculous recovery Daichi made a few years ago?”

The ex-middle blocker nodded, remembering the incident three years ago. Back then, instead of Kageyama lying on a hospital bed, it was Sawamura, and Sugawara was the one who was on the verge of a mental breakdown. But by some miracle, the ex-captain recovered, and pretty abruptly at that.

_Miracle…?_

“Wait… Does that incident have something to do with helping Tobio recover?” The blonde asked, hands shaking at the thought of being able to help his boyfriend whose time was running out.

“Yes. I used a method known only to a handful, and that very method can be used to cure Kageyama.”

“Well then, what are you waiting for? I want to help Tobio as soon as possible.”

Tsukishima was answered by a sigh, causing him to tilt his head in confusion. “I’ll tell you, but first I need to know if you truly love Kageyama. If you had to give up your life in exchange for his, would you?”

“Of course.” Was the tallest reply. There was no hesitation at all and his reply was firm, will resolute and unwavering. If Kageyama was gone and done for, the world would surely be a bleak one. Without the black haired setter, would life even be worth living? The answer is a simple two letter word: No.

“Alright then. Next, I need you to promise me that you will tell Kageyama about the method and its consequence.”

“Consequence? That sounds like trouble. Maybe you shouldn’t do it Tsu—” Yamaguchi protested, only to be cut off by the blonde himself.

“I promise.”

“Tsukki…”

“I can’t live without Tobio,” The spectacle-wearing male started off, glancing at his concerned friend, “You know that, Yamaguchi.” The brunette fell silent at that, he knew how much Kageyama meant to his childhood friend after all. The silence was soon broken by Sugawara’s voice.

“I’ll start off by telling you the consequence.”

 

* * *

 

“Are you really going to go through with it?” Yamaguchi asked, brows furrowed as crease lines due to worry formed on his forehead.

“Yes, I am. If I can save Kageyama using this method, I will.”

The brunette simply sighed at his friend, “I won’t stop you then.”

Just then, Tsukishima’s phone rang and the male picked it up and answered immediately upon seeing the caller’s name. Kozume rarely called, texting being his preferable communication option, and if the bicolour haired male was calling it must be something akin to an emergency.

“Ken—”

“Kei, we need you here. _Now_. Tobio’s in critical condition again.”

Brown orbs widened at the words ‘Critical condition’ and he gave a brief reply before grabbing the bouquet of bluebells and rushing out of the cafe, leaving behind confused teammates.

The cafe was not too far from the hospital and Tsukishima opted to run instead of taking a cab. Trying to catch a cab would take up too much time and time was not something he had. His breath ran ragged as he dashed at top speed while his legs ached, pushing his endurance limit.

Finally, the white tall building was within sight and he rushed into the building, automatic sliding doors giving way to him. Without hesitance, he chose to run up the stairs. The elevators were pretty slow and Kageyama’s room was only on the fourth floor anyways.

Once he got to the fourth floor, he made the final sprint to Kageyama’s room and ran into the open room. His eyes widened as as his ears rang with the telltale ‘beep’ of a heart no longer working. A doctor, whose name he forgot, was currently performing CPR on Kageyama’s motionless body, the springs of the hospital bed squeaking at the action.

He saw Kozume on the other side of the bed, getting ready to use the defibrillators. “Clear.” The ex-Nekoma commanded before placing the paddles on Kageyama’s exposed torso, “Shock.”

The depressing ‘beep’ still continued, a sign that the black haired male’s pulse wasn’t picking up. Tsukishima made his way to the bed and placed the flowers on the bedside table before tapping his colleague’s shoulder, signalling that he would take over. The doctor nodded and allowed for Tsukishima to climb onto the bed and place his hands on the area where a vital organ no longer did its job and proceeded to compress Kageyama’s chest.

His breathlessness and aching muscles were forgotten as he put his all in performing CPR and his thoughts revolved around saving the male before him. He would not let his boyfriend die, not now. Kageyama still had a bright future before him, one that involved leading the national volleyball team to victory in the 2020 Olympics.

“Clear.” Kozue commanded once more, waiting for Tsukishima to step aside before picking up the paddles and placing them on the youngest’s chest. “Shock.”

This time the heart monitor detected a faint pulse. It was too early to say for sure that the male would be alright, but the blonde could not suppress the glimmer of hope fluttering in his innards.“Once more. Increase the voltage.” The ex-Nekoma instructed, moving aside to give way to the blonde.

Tsukishima immediately started to compress Kageyama’s chest relentlessly, “Please, Tobio. Wake up, you can’t leave me!”

 

_Please don’t leave me here alone._

 

Time is a scary thing - how terribly intangible it was, the very concept of its passing vague at best. Its flow varied from person to person, for some it inched ever so slowly while for others it sped by way too quickly. Whatever the speed, one thing stayed constant. Time never stopped.

It only moved from one moment to the next, never pausing - never yielding - to the selfish wishes of a mere human.

 

And in a single breath,

 

_In. Out._

 

A single second,

 

_Tick. Tock._

 

One’s heart slowed to a standstill.

 

_Beeeep._

 

Brown orbs widened.

The soft whisper of a name seemed to be deafeningly loud, overshadowing the flat digital noise of the machine.

Hands trembled, voice wobbly as he croaked out a name, repeating it over and over again, volume crescendoing to a fortissimo and then —

 

“Please, no. Don’t go.”

 

The first drops fell, tracing the outline of his face before making their descent, being absorbed by the bedsheet not long after. The tears glistened throughout their short journey, as if bearing the symbol of light - of hope - that could no longer exist in Tsukishima’s body and could only be leaked out as despair replaced it.

His throat burned as it constricted, and his mouth could only taste the salt of his sorrow. _Ah, how long had it been since he last cried?_

He gingerly picked up Kageyama's hand, cradling it tenderly before bringing it to his body. The black haired male's hand was so cold, numbingly so, and felt utterly… Dead.

“Kei.”

Kozume’s voice penetrated the bubble Tsukishima encased himself in, successfully bringing the blonde male back to awareness. “He's gone.”

A cry of anguish built up at the back of his throat but the ex-middle blocker immediately suppressed it. He had spent a moment too long wallowing in sorrow, he now had to dedicate the rest of his time to bringing his boyfriend back from the dead. He got up from the bed and gently placed Kageyama's hand down before scrubbing away at his tears. He then realised that the room was relatively empty except for the three of them.

“I sent them away.” Kozume clarified.

“I see. Thanks Kenma.”

The bicoloured hair male nodded back.

“Kenma, may I ask you for a favour?” Tsukishima asked, absentmindedly brushing away black locks that obscured the angelic features of a lifeless male.

“Of course, go ahead.”

“I need you to help get me two pieces of string, a needle, a strip of paper, and a hole puncher. 

The ex-Nekoma repeated the things out loud as confusion clouded his eyes, “What are you going to do with all of—”

Cat-like eyes rested on the bouquet of bluebells before widening in realization. “The ritual…” He whispered before snapping his head to the direction of the blonde. “Who told you about the ritual? Do you know what it would cost you?”

_“This method allows you to use your lifespan to support Kageyama’s. In other words, a few years of your life will be taken away and given to Kageyama to sustain his life. Once your time is up, he will die along with you.”_

“I know, but I can't fathom a life without Tobio. As for who told me about this ritual, it was Sugawara-senpai.” 

“Sugawara-san… Of course it was him.” Kozume sighed, a wry smile settling on his lips. “Well, I’ll help you get the things you need.” With that, he turned to walk out of the room only to be stopped by Tsukishima’s question.

“How did you know about the ritual?” 

“I was with Sugawara when he performed the ritual.” The older answered, not flinching at the next question the taller threw his way. 

“Then why didn’t you tell me about the method?” 

“Because,” Kozume started off, turning around to face the blonde with a smile, “I’m hopelessly optimistic, and deep down, I too wanted to believe that Tobio was going to be alright.”

With that, the shorter doctor left, sliding the door close quietly. Kozume's response left the blonde momentarily stunned, but he recovered his composure in the blink of an eye. He walked to the other side of the bed and grabbed a vase off the bedside table before walking to the nearby sink located across the bed. He then emptied the contents of the flower vase into the sink, throwing the day-old pansies into a nearby waste basket. With a turn of the faucet, he filled the vase with water before setting it down back where it belonged.

“Here, the things you asked for.” Kozume said as he walked into the room and set down a tray containing the needed apparatus onto the bedside table.

“Thanks Kenma.”

Wasting no time, the glasses-wearing male picked up a piece of string before knotting it tightly around the middle of his thumb.

_“First, you have to prick yourself with a needle. It's best to tie a string around your finger before doing so to restrict the amount of blood.”_

Tsukishima then picked up the needle which was already disinfected - as all hospital needles are - before pricking the fleshy area located at the side of his nail.

_“Next, squeeze a drop of blood into the water-filled vase.”_

He pinched the skin together, causing a single drop of crimson liquid to fall into the vase, instantly mingling with the rest of its contents.

_“After that, you need to write the characters of ‘Death’ and ‘God’ on the strip of paper before punching a hole in the paper and stringing it to tie it to a bluebell's stalk.”_

He brushed his bleeding thumb against the rough fabric of his jeans before turning to where the rest of the requested items lay previously only to be greeted by an already prepped paper strip attached to a bluebell’s stalk.

“How—”

“I was there when Sugawara-san did the ritual. I can remember some steps.” Kozume explained, handing over the bluebell to Tsukishima, “But are you sure this will work? Tobio’s already… And Sugawara-san did this ritual while Sawamura-san was still alive.”

The blonde paused his movements momentarily at his friend’s question, implication that the ritual might not work slapping him harshly in the face. What was supposed to come out as a confident ‘It’ll work’ became a wobbly ‘I don’t know’, and his vision blurred over once more, lips quivering ever so slightly. He honestly didn’t know if it was possible to bring back the dead, but he had to at least try. He couldn’t - No, he _wouldn’t_ \- give up on Kageyama so easily.

Determination set in place, he slipped the flower into the vase before taking in a long breath. He could hear the thumping of his heart, the thrumming in his blood, the anticipation in the air, as he took a hold of the delicate bell-shaped flower and shaked it lightly with a quick flick of the wrist.

And then it happened.

The bluebell _rang_.

The sonorous sound reverberated throughout the entire room, sending shivers down the two males’ spines. The flower, which looked so fragile, created a sound that sounded so clear and solid that the blonde could not help but let out a small gasp. A few seconds later, the bluebell’s stalk turned to red starting from the bottom and making its way up, as if sucking the blood that was once present in the water.

Tsukishima looked on in awe as the bluebell’s colour transitioned from a bluish-violet to red, creating a gradient effect as the plant continued sucking up the red liquid vital for human sustenance. Once the flower became completely crimson, it started to glow and pulsate, shining so bright that both males had to look away.

They turned their heads back after the light died down only to see a hooded figure standing in front of them.

“What business do you have with me, Tsukishima Kei?”

No words came out of the blonde’s mouth for he was much too busy trying to comprehend what his eyes were seeing. It’s not everyday you get to see a real shinigami in front of you after all.

“Yes, I’m beautiful, I know. Shall I strip?” The reaper asked, noticing the ex-middle blocker’s loss of words and very evident stare.

“What?” Tsukishima voiced out, momentarily stupefied at the other-worldly being’s suggestion before a look of disgust flickered across his face, “Please, no.”

“Yeah, I knew it.” The figure sighed, proceeding to sit down on a floating blade just like how a witch would sit on a flying broom, “That’s what they all say anyways.”

“I wish to share my lifespan with my boyfriend, Kageyama Tobio.” The glasses-wearing male requested, ignoring the shinigami’s previous remarks.

“Straightforward, huh? How boring. But at least you’re gay!” The reaper said, throwing a thumbs up at the blonde. “Gay guys know the best ways to please the… _Otn_. If you know what I mean.” The being then let out what could only be described as a mix between a perverted giggle and a moan.

Tsukishima turned to Kozume, silently asking if all death reapers were like the one before them, to which the shorter answered with a shrug.

“Well, back to business. Let’s see how many years you have left.” With that, the entity pulled out a device that looked similar to a tablet. “Hmm, Tsukishima Kei… You have 0 years left. Eh?”

The two humans stayed silent as the reaper scratched the top of its hood in confusion. “Ah!” The entity exclaimed as it snapped its finger in realization, “I typed the wrong ‘shima’ in! Teehee~”

The blonde barely suppressed the urge to smash his head against the wall at the ridiculous ‘Death God’.

“Alright, I’m sure I got the right one this time! Let’s see, you have 60 years left. If you share it with your boyfriend, you’ll have 30 years left and you’ll die at 54 years of age. Are you okay with that?”

“Of course.”

“Alritey then~ Data is being transferred! You did the ritual just in time. If you had delayed just a sec later, your boyfriend’s soul would have been taken away to heaven. We need quite some time to overwrite the data so expect your boyfriend to wake up around 9 at night. Well, with that, I bid you all farewell~”

And just like that, the shinigami disappeared, taking away the anxiety and despair Tsukishima harboured along with it.

“Now then, perhaps you should rest until Tobio wakes up, Kei.”

“I guess I will.” The ex-middle blocker complied, proceeding to take a seat on the chair next to Kageyama’s bed. He rested his arms on the armrest, propping his head on his right hand.

He took one last look at Kageyama’s motionless body before closing his eyes.

 

* * *

 

He awoke to a darkened room, illuminated only by the faint moonlight. He shifted in his seat, only noticing the small blanket then - something that Kozume probably brought and placed around the blonde’s shoulders.

“You’re awake.”

Tsukishima snapped his head to the bed where a now awake male lay as brown orbs widened, misted over with what could only be tears of joy. “Tobio…!” He choked out, clambering onto the bed before tugging Kageyama into a tight embrace.

“You’re alive!” The taller cried out, letting the tears he held back for so long flow down his face freely. “You’re alive.” He repeated, burying his face into the crook of the other’s neck, black hairs tickling the side of his face.

“Yeah.” The genius setter whispered, hands moving up to the top of his boyfriend’s head, fingers threading themselves into gold locks, “I’m back home.”

“Can we stay like this just for a while longer?”

The younger did not answer in words - He was always one who preferred conveying meaning through heartfelt actions over eloquent words - and started to stroke silky hair slowly, soothingly, calming down the sobbing male. Golden-brown eyes fluttered shut and Tsukishima could not help but lean into the shorter’s gentle touches.

They spent the next couple of minutes like this, silently enjoying the warmth the other possessed, until Tsukishima spoke.

_“I need you to promise me that you will tell Kageyama about the method and its consequence.”_

_“I promise.”_

“I have to tell you something, Tobio.”

Taking in a deep breath, the taller proceeded to recount the day’s happenings.

Upon mention of the ritual’s consequence, the setter pushed his boyfriend away in horror. Big blue eyes peered into brown ones, trying to find the lie, only to realise that the older was dead serious.

A sharp gasp punctured the air as Kageyama shook his head, trying to deny what he just heard.

“Why would you—”

“Tobio.” The blonde cut in, “I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

The shorter turned his head away from his partner, opting to look out of the window instead. His voice was soft when he next spoke.

“I want to go to the garden.”

“Alright, I’ll accompany you.”

The walk down to the hospital garden was filled with silence, one that was uncomfortable. The silence continued even as they took a stroll in the empty garden until Kageyama stopped walking.

“The moon is beautiful tonight, isn’t it?” He spoke, red colouring his cheeks.

Tsukishima, too, started to blush, the romantic undertone of the phrase hitting him hard. Without fully processing his actions, he tilted the younger’s head up with a finger before leaning down to place an innocent kiss on pink, plump lips.

The two bodies were bathed in ethereal moonlight, their beings taking on a faint iridescent glow, as they conveyed their affection for one another wordlessly. They never needed words, their actions were more than enough to send across their emotions - feelings so deeply etched in their hearts that no words could ever do justice to them.

Even when they parted for air, their minds were still linked, still in sync. Fingers intertwined tightly, much like the red string of fate that now bound their souls together.

“Tobio?” 

“Hmm?”

  
_“Let’s get married at the space station.”_

**Author's Note:**

> So, I Googled 'Otn' just 'cause and apparently it's an abbreviation lmao. I'll spare you the trouble of researching what I meant by 'Otn'. Otn is sort of a Japanese slang. It sounds like the word 'Ochinchin' which is used by young boys in Japan to refer to their _part_.  
>  Also, I originally planned to make Shinigami-san a serious, mysterious, cool kinda person... But, yeah we saw how that turned out.  
> Anyways, hope you enjoyed this fic!
> 
> AND, HAPPY NEW YEAR'S EVE AHHHHHH! <3 <3


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